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Original poster

Why is Gatwick such a big pain in the arse to get ro

190 replies

Pavementworrier · 13/12/2025 23:47

And why does British airways put so many of its flights out of there??

Gets right on my wick

OP posts:
fairydustt · 14/12/2025 15:49

I live in Horsham so it’s great for me :) depends where you’re living surely? Not everyone lives where you live :S

LakeGeneva1 · 14/12/2025 15:41

TinselTitts · 13/12/2025 23:52

Yes I was going to say this.

It's a 50 minute drive for me at most and very easy.

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It is 50 mins from me too and I find it too far!!

FerrisWheelsandLilacs · 14/12/2025 15:37

Pavementworrier · 14/12/2025 00:03

I hate how British airways has just sacked off everyone north of victoria station

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Heathrow seems to have way more BA flights than Gatwick. I live in the north and have changed at or flown from LHR many many times, all with BA, but never once has the option to fly via Gatwick ever been presented to me.

LakieLady · 14/12/2025 15:33

It's a 40 minute drive for me, and dual carriageway almost the entire way.

It's also 40 minutes on the train, but I'd have to get a taxi or bus to the station, and our buses don't start till gone 9 and stop at 5.45pm. It only costs around £25 return though, so probably a lot less than parking at the airport.

If they keep putting up the charge to drop people off, it'll soon be cheaper to get the train though: it's going up to £10 in the New Year.

Redpeach · 14/12/2025 15:06

D you mean its hard to get to in a car?

gannett · 14/12/2025 14:37

Gatwick is easy for me now in south London. Easier than Stansted was when I lived in east London. Basically Gatwick is on more lines and you have more options and always a plan b, even if that involves Croydon and trams. But if the Stansted Express is spannered then so are you.

Redpeach · 14/12/2025 14:30

Its got a train station ain't it?

WonderfulSmith · 14/12/2025 14:29

intrepidpanda · 14/12/2025 00:31

Gatwick is easy to get to.
Stansted however.....

For me Gatwick is over 2 hours yet Stansted is an easy hour. It’s almost like some people don’t live in London……

BillieWiper · 14/12/2025 14:26

For me it's really easy. I hate it though. It's just massive and I always nearly miss my flight. Think I've got tons of time and by the time I've found the smoking area I'm running for the gate which is inevitably twenty minutes away?!

I prefer Luton or Stansted just because they aren't so overwhelming.

ParisianLady · 14/12/2025 14:23

@Marmalade71

Ah, the M25, I missed my flight at LHR on Friday due to an accident on the M25. We were stuck at a 2mph crawl and it was an agony watching the time tick by (I had left enough time to arrive 3hrs early and still missed it) Luckily a work flight, many people crying at the desk with ruined holidays and Xmas plans.

Marmalade71 · 14/12/2025 14:15

45 mins for me. Always the risk of an M25 nightmare but same applies to LHR.

Plus BA lounge at South Terminal is enormous and usually empty because so few flights go from there. Unlike T5 where you’re better off in the main departure lounge.

Bjorkdidit · 14/12/2025 14:06

Other airlines are available.

All the 'London' airports are many hours away for me so they're much of a muchness. A long drive or a train ride that is likely more expensive than the flight means I pretty much never use BA.

People who live in London are utterly spoilt with transport connections. It's like that meme complaining that the next tube comes in 10 mins. The other 90% of the population would kill for public transport thar frequent.

BlueberryOats · 14/12/2025 14:00

I can walk there. Closer you live the more airport noise and air pollution.

Clearinguptheclutter · 14/12/2025 13:53

Pavementworrier · 14/12/2025 00:10

Lots of routes only go from Gatwick and BA has cancelled it's regional connections to Gatwick so you have to get to Gatwick from London and it's the oldest, shittest connection going

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If you’re coming down from up north yes it’s a disaster but only if you insist you want to fly BA.

easyjet is your friend

Quiltedconcrete · 14/12/2025 13:51

Gingercar · 14/12/2025 00:01

If you live South of London it’s fine. For the rest of the country it’s a nightmare. I was cabin crew there for a few years. Lived in Brighton so it was ok. Now I live up north I’d choose to go to Amsterdam or somewhere for a flight before I chose Gatwick!

I live in south London ( though fairly central) and it should be the easiest airport to get to for me with the exception of City, which I love!

but it’s a bloody nightmare! The roads are terrible and it’s a pain in the arse to go to Victoria.

CasperGutman · 14/12/2025 13:41

Ha! You think Gatwick is a pain to get to? Try flying from Bristol, or Cardiff. Gatwick has a mainline railway station and its own motorway junction. It's in easy reach of the biggest population centre in the country by both public and private transportation.

WalkDontWalk · 14/12/2025 13:39

This OP is determined to have a go, whatever the reply.

I love Gatwick. Easy to get to from anywhere south of Camden. Unlike Heathrow, it acts like an airport rather than like a vast mall with planes. Stansted is a nightmare. Luton is near Luton.

Gatwick's the airport of choice.

WhistPie · 14/12/2025 13:30

Upholstery · 14/12/2025 11:05

The Gatwick transport infrastructure isn't great, for an international airport that serves London. Unless Victoria works for you, you're chugging along on suburban trains at 20 miles an hour through the Surrey countryside which hardly screams sophisticated metropolitan traveller. But then transport infrastructure is pretty terrible for all UK airports, they are all a ball ache to get in and out of.

28 minutes from Gatwick to Clapham Junction, only stop is East Croydon. That's hardly chugging along. As opposed to Heathrow, where it's almost impossible to get directly into Surrey, and until very recently with the Elizabeth Line, Berkshire was difficult too

momager22 · 14/12/2025 13:25

I’m not in Croydon and it’s really easy for me

gerispringer · 14/12/2025 13:17

Gatwick is my preferred airport. Super easy for me to get to. Sometimes if we are taking a very early morning flight we stay over in the Bloc hotel which is right in the airport. No stress in getting to the airport in the middle of the night. Can’t be doing with Heathrow or Stansted.

GreenGiant167 · 14/12/2025 13:08

It might be difficult for you but we live 4.5 hours away and the train goes directly to and from there. We love it for long haul travel.

Edenmum2 · 14/12/2025 13:07

It’s a lovely spot for me, 40 mins away and no central london to contend with

Dragonflytamer · 14/12/2025 12:38

It used to be 10 minutes for me. Maybe your problem is just you live too far for Gatwick?

LighthouseLED · 14/12/2025 12:35

lickingfingertastingfood · 14/12/2025 12:21

They say 30 mins? Regular trains are about 43. 🤷‍♀️

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The regular train I catch goes from Gatwick to London Bridge in 29 minutes. Gatwick Express to Victoria is 31 minutes.

lickingfingertastingfood · 14/12/2025 12:21

LighthouseLED · 14/12/2025 12:13

…which is actually slower to get into London than the regular train!

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They say 30 mins? Regular trains are about 43. 🤷‍♀️